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Click here to view sample pages
Figoni on Delahaye
by Richard Adatto, with Diana Meredith
Studio photography by Michael Furman
Now available!
Written by Richard Adatto, noted expert on French coachbuilders, and co-writer Diana Meredith, Figoni on Delahaye pays homage to the artistic genius of Joseph Figoni and the beautiful bodies he both designed and built for Delahaye. The book shows the evolution of his creative process, illustrated through his pen and pencil drawings and designs. He also used clay models and truescale wire mock-ups mounted on the chassis, but only his drawings and a small wooden model survive. Today, modern photographs, many by renowned automotive photographer Michael Furman, allow us to appreciate the unique features of these decades-old cars, now restored to their original splendor. In addition, the notebooks, vintage photographs, and historical documents in the Figoni Archive help tell the full story of many cars. Over fifty Delahayes are featured in detail, each with striking Figoni coachwork. Many drawings, several never published before, are included in a unique appendix to the book, entitled Joseph Figoni’s Designs and Drawings.
Claude Figoni, Joseph’s son, provides a vivid account of his father’s humble beginnings, his growth as a craftsman and artist, his difficulties during World War II, and his eventual recognition as France’s premier coachbuilder. Figoni on Delahaye also includes Richard Adatto’s personal recollections of his encounters with car owners and admirers, of finding cars long believed lost, and of meeting restorers and historians whose passion for Figoni-designed cars equals his own.
In August 2023, in recognition of the influence of the ideas of Joseph Figoni on the custom coachbuilders of the 1930s and beyond, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Carrosserie Automobile Joseph Figoni. The event will feature three classes of Figoni-bodied cars in the largest exhibit of Figoni coachwork ever assembled. The occasion will be a fitting tribute to an extraordinary artist and visionary.
- Page Size 240mm x 285mm
- ISBN: 978-1-956309-13-3
- 302 images
- 328 pages
- Hard cover with dust jacket in a slipcase
- First published 2023
Thank you, Jürgen Lewandowski, for the nice review in Motorworld Bulletin
Issue 169, February 2024
 MOWO_Bulletin_169.jpg)
English translation:
It was high time to pay tribute to the brilliant
coachbuilder Joseph Figoni and his fantastic designs for the French brand
Delahaye - and of course the American publisher Dalton Watson took on this
topic. Who else?
Émile Delahaye - owner of a small foundry - began building
small single-cylinder vehicles in 1895, manufactured four-cylinder engines from
1908 and built an innovative V6 engine from 1911 onwards. The Type 135,
presented in 1935, which was equipped with an in-line six-cylinder with a
displacement of 3.2 and 3.6 liters and an output of up to 110 hp, quickly
became famous in its “Compétition” version in rallies was able to achieve
victories. René Le Bègue and Julio Quinlin won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1937 with
a Type 135 MS Spéciale.
Delahaye's reputation was based not only on the company's
sporting successes, but also on the Art Deco bodies created by the best body
companies of the time. In addition to the companies Chapron, De Villars and
Letourneur et Marchand, it is above all the works of art by Joseph Figoni and
Ovidio Falaschi who created vehicles - drawn by Figoni - that must be
understood as works of art. Richard Adatto, together with co-author Diana Meredith
and photographer Michael Furman, has created a great book that describes in
detail the genesis of the shapes and the history of this vehicle, which is now
worth millions. It is clear that Adatto has been working with the works of art
by Delahaye and Talbot-Lago for decades and has found archive material that has
not yet been published. After reading it, you will understand why these cars
regularly take home the “Best of Show” trophies at the world’s major concours.
One of the most beautiful books ever published about the Art Deco companion.
Thank you, SAHB Times, for the nice review.
Issue 115, winter 2023-24
 SAHB Times Issue 115.jpg)
Thank you, John Wiley and Hagerty magazine, for the great review.
December 2023
Click on the image above or this link for the full review on Hagerty.com
Thank you, Rubén Verdés and the SAH Journal, for the great review.
October, 2023
 SAH Journal Oct 2023.jpg)
Thank you, Classic & Sports Car, for the great review.
December, 2023
 Classic & Sports Car Dec 2023.png)
Thank you, Derivaz & Ives, for the great review.
October 31, 2023
Click on the image above or this link for full review
Thank you, Sabu Advani, and Speedreaders.info, for the great review.
Click on the image or this link to visit the Speedreaders.info site
Thank you, Pete Vack, and VeloceToday.com, for the great review.
Click on the image or this link to visit the VeloceToday site
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Author Biography
RICHARD
ADATTO is one of the world’s experts on French aerodynamic cars. He sits on the
Advisory Board of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance, where he has acted as a
judge for over 35 years. He is also a judge at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este
and the Salon Privé Concours d’Élégance in the United Kingdom. Mr. Adatto is
the technical advisor for the Classic Car Club of America on French-built cars
and the American correspondent for the French Delahaye and Talbot-Lago clubs. He
has authored or co-authored six books, and his articles and scripts have
appeared in major magazines and automotive TV programs. Mr. Adatto lives in
Seattle, Washington.
DIANA
MEREDITH is an interpreter, translator, editor and writer working in English,
Spanish and French. She and Mr. Adatto are co-authors of Delage Styling and
Design (2005) and Delahaye Styling and Design (2006). During her extensive
travels, she has researched and uncovered original sources and information
related to the automotive industry with a focus on the period before World War
II. A native of Chile, Ms. Meredith is based in Seattle, Washington.
MICHAEL
FURMAN is renowned for his studio photography of the world’s great classic and sporting
cars. For more than 40 years, his work has been seen in numerous publications,
among them his many titles for Coachbuilt Press and publishers Assouline and
Taschen. His photographs often appear in museum and gallery exhibitions in all parts
of the globe. Mr. Furman is a founding Board Member of the Radnor Hunt Concours
d’Élégance and serves as creative consultant to other automotive events and
publications. Mr. Furman lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Figoni on Delahaye 
